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Democratic Debate: How to raise incomes for middle class families

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders discuss how to raise incomes for middle class families at the debate at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

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Updated: 11:40 PM EST Dec 19, 2015

Democratic Debate: How to raise incomes for middle class families

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders discuss how to raise incomes for middle class families at the debate at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

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Updated: 11:40 PM EST Dec 19, 2015

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WEBVTT CONCERNS OF TERROR HERE ON THE HOME FRONT. AND AS WE AWAIT SECRETARY CLINTON SFWAJ HERE, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THE ECONOMY. WE WANT TO TURN TO AMERICAN JOBS, WAGES, AND RAISES IN THIS COUNTRY. AND DO WE BELIEVE SECRETARY CLINTON WILL BE COMING AROUND THE CORNER ANY MINUTE. BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE WANT TO START WITH THIS EYE-OPENING NUMBER. SENATOR SANDERS, THIS QUESTION GOES TO YOU FIRST ANYWAY. IN 1995 THE MEDIAN AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME WAS $52,600 IN TODAY'S MONEY. THIS YEAR IT'S $53,600. THAT'S 20 MORE YEARS ON THE JOB WITH JUST A 2% RAISE. IN A SIMILAR TIME FRAME RAISES FOR CEO UP MORE THAN 200%. [ APPLAUSE ] SORRY. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE HERE. AND SECRETARY, YOU'LL GET A CHANCE ON THIS TOO. BUT AS I POINTED OUT, CEO PAY UP 200% IN THAT TIME. FOR THAT FAMILY UP JUST 2%. YOU'VE ALL SAID YOU WOULD RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE. BUT SENATOR SANDERS, SPEAK TO THAT HOUSEHOLD TONIGHT. 20 YEARS, JUST A 2% RAISE. HOW AS PRESIDENT WOULD YOU GET THEM A RAISE RIGHT AWAY? FIRST OF ALL, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE GOT A RIGGED ECONOMY. AS YOU'VE INDICATED. MIDDLE CLASS IN THIS COUNTRY FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS HAS BEEN DISAPPEARING. ARE WE BETTER OFF TODAY THAN WE WERE WHEN BUSH LEFT OFFICE? ABSOLUTELY. BUT AS YOU'VE INDICATED, FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICAN WORKERS, PEOPLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, ALL OVER AMERICA, THEY'RE WORKING LONGER HOURS FOR LOW WAGES, DEEPLY WORRIED ABOUT THEIR KIDS. SO WHAT DO WE DO? FIRST STATEMENT WE MAKE IS WE TELL THE BILLIONAIRE CLASS THEY CANNOT HAVE IT ALL. FOR A START. THEY'RE GOING TO START PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES. SECOND OF ALL IS YOU RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO A LIVING WAGE. 15 BUCKS AN HOUR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. NEXT THING YOU DO, PAY EQUITY FOR WOMEN WORKERS. WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE MAKING 79 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR COMPARED TO MEN. [ APPLAUSE ] NEXT THING THAT WE DO, REAL UNEMPLOYMENT. OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT 5%. REAL UNEMPLOYMENT 10%. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT OFF THE CHARTS. WE REBUILD OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR ROADS, OUR BRIDGES, OUR RAIL SYSTEM. WE CREATE 13 MILLION JOBS WITH A TRILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT. FURTHERMORE, IN A COMPETITIVE GLOBAL ECONOMY IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST-EDUCATED WORKFORCE IN THE WORLD. THAT IS WHY I'M GOING TO HAVE A TAX ON WALL STREET SPECULATION TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN AMERICA ARE TUITION-FREE. [ APPLAUSE ] SENATOR SANDERS, THANK YOU. GOVERNOR O'MALLEY, WHAT WOULD YOU PROPOSE THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT? HOW WOULD YOU GIVE THE MIDDLE CLASS A RAISE AND WITHOUT WAITING ANOTHER 20 YEARS FOR ANOTHER 2%? LOOK, THESE ARE THE THINGS WE DID IN MY OWN STATE THROUGH THE RECESSION. WE ACTUALLY -- WE ACTUALLY PASSED A LIVING WAGE. WE RAISED THE MINIMUM WAGE. WE ACTUALLY RAISED IT TO THE HIGHEST GOALS OF ANY STATE IN THE NATION, OUR MINORITY AND WOMEN PARTICIPATION GOALS. BECAUSE WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE WAY YOU REINVIGORATE AND MAKE FAIR MARKET AMERICAN CAPITALISM WORK IS TO MAKE THE CHOICES IN THE INVESTMENTS THAT INCLUDE MORE PEOPLE MORE FULLY IN THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF YOUR STATE. ALL THROUGH THE RECESSION WE DEFENDED THE HIGHEST MEDIAN INCOME IN AMERICA AND THE SECOND HIGHEST MEDIAN INCOME FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES. HOW? BY ACTUALLY DOING MORE FOR EDUCATION. WE INCREASED EDUCATION FUNDING BY 37%. WE WERE THE ONLY STATE IN AMERICA THAT WENT FOUR YEARS IN A ROW WITHOUT A PENNY'S INCREASE TO COLLEGE TUITION. WE INVESTED MORE IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WE SQUARED OUR SHOULDERS TO THE GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY OF THIS ERA. AND THAT IS MOVING OUR ECONOMY TO A 100% CLEAN ELECTRIC ENERGY FUTURE. WE CREATED 2,000 NEW JOBS IN THE SOLAR INDUSTRY. AND WE FOUGHT EVERY SINGLE DAY TO ADOPT MORE INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC PRACTICES. SO DAVID, THE CONCLUSION OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS IS THIS. THEY WEREN'T HOPES, THEY WEREN'T DREAMS. THEY WEREN'T AMORPHOUS GOALS OUT THERE. WE ACTUALLY TOOK ACTIONS TO DO THESE THINGS. AND AS PRESIDENT I HAVE PUT FORWARD 15 STRATEGIC GOALS THAT WILL MAKE WAGES GO UP AGAIN FOR ALL AMERICAN FAMILIES. UNIVERSAL NATIONAL SERVICE IS AN OPTION FOR EVERY KID IN AMERICA TO CUT YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT. AND I'M THE ONLY CANDIDATE ON THIS STAGE TO PUT FORWARD A NEW AGENDA FOR AMERICA'S CITIES SO WE CAN EMPLOY MORE PEOPLE IN THE HEART OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES AND GET THEM BACK TO WORK. GOVERNOR, THANK YOU. SECRETARY CLINTON, AS YOU WERE WALKING IN I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE MEDIAN AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD GETTING A 2% RAISE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, THAT CEO PAY IN THAT SAME TIME FRAME HAS GONE UP 200%. SO FOR THOSE FAMILIES WATCHING TONIGHT, HOW DO YOU GET THEM A RAISE IF YOU'RE PRESIDENT? WELL, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO A LOT OF THESE FAMILIES, AND THIS IS SUCH AN OUTRAGE, BOTH BECAUSE IT'S BAD FOR OUR ECONOMY, WE'RE A 70% CONSUMPTION ECONOMY, PEOPLE NEED TO FEEL OPTIMISTIC AND CONFIDENT, THEY NEED TO BELIEVE THEIR HARD WORK IS GOING TO BE REWARDED, AND IT'S BAD FOR OUR DEMOCRACY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY THE CASE THAT IF PEOPLE FEEL THAT THE GAME IS RIGGED THAT HAS CONSEQUENCES. I THINK IT'S GREAT STANDING UP HERE WITH THE SENATOR AND THE GOVERNOR TALKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HEAR ANYTHING LIKE THIS FROM ANY OF THE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. THEY DON'T WANT TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE. THEY DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TO INCREASE INCOMES. AT THE CENTER OF MY ECONOMIC POLICY IS RAISING INCOMES BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET AHEAD AND THE COSTS OF EVERYTHING, FROM COLLEGE TUITION TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS HAS GONE UP. OF COURSE WE HAVE TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE. OF COURSE WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO INCENTIVIZE PROFIT SHARING LIKE WE SEE WITH MARKET BASKET RIGHT HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NEW ENGLAND, WHERE ALL OF THE BL EMPLOYEES GET A CHANCE TO SHARE IN THE PROFITS. AND WE'VE GOT TO DO MORE ON EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK. THAT MEANS PASS THE PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT SO WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE MAKING. THAT'S THE WAY TO GET WOMEN'S WAGES UP. AND THAT'S GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. AND THERE IS A LOT WE CAN DO IN COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY. I HAVE DEBT-FREE TUITION PLANS, FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLANS, GETTING STUDENT DEBT DOWN. I ALSO AM VERY COMMITTED TO GETTING THE PRICE OF DRUGS DOWN. AND THERE'S A LOT. YOU CAN GO TO MY WEBSITE, HILLARYCLINTON.COM, AND READ ABOUT IT. BUT I GUESS THE FINAL THING I WOULD SAY IS THIS IS THE KIND OF DEBATE WE NEED TO TAKE TO THE REPUBLICANS IN THE FALL.

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Democratic Debate: How to raise incomes for middle class families

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders discuss how to raise incomes for middle class families at the debate at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.